Jenna Talackova, the transgender beauty queen who
was disqualified from the Miss Universe Canada pageant for not being a "natural-born woman," has responded to the controversy. Her rep Rory Richards tells CBC news, "Jenna is overwhelmed, and deeply moved by the support she has received from around the globe. But especially from fellow Canadians that have said how proud they would be if she represented Canada in the Miss Universe Pageant."

Jenna adds in a statement, "I will look to turn this situation into a positive so that other people in a similar situation are not discriminated against in the future."

The requirements to compete in all Miss Universe pageants are: citizenship of the country in which the pageant is held, between the ages of 18-27, neither married nor pregnant, and a natural-born woman. The final provision is the one that the Miss Universe Canada pageant is saying disqualifies Jenna.

The organization has put a
statement on their website saying, "Jenna Talackova from Vancouver, British Columbia will not compete in the 2012 Miss Universe Canada competition because she did not meet the requirements to compete despite having stated otherwise on her entry form. We do, however, respect her goals, determination and wish her the best."

There is currently
a Change.org petition online where people can show their support of Jenna, who still wishes to participate in the pageant, which will be held in May in Toronto.